Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) are official digital vector nautical charts produced by national hydrographic offices (HOs) in accordance with the International Hydrographic Organisation's (IHO) standard S-57.

ENCs meet SOLAS chart carriage requirements as long as the charts are kept up-to-date and displayed using a type-approved Electronic Chart Display and Information System (or ECDIS.)

National HOs produce or authorise ENCs for their own territorial waters. Therefore, mariners trading internationally must use ENCs from a variety of producers. Many HOs provide their ENCs via Regional ENC Co-ordinating Centres (RENCs) and through official distributors - know as digital chart agents.

As an official digital chart agent and VAR, ChartWorld can offer individual ENCs from a variety of RENCs and HOs, including: IC-ENC, PRIMAR, UKHO, Singapore MPS, the Hong Kong HO, the CHS and NOAA, as well as complete data services, such as AVCS from the UKHO.

Available Data Formats

ChartWorld offers ENCs in S-57 (where allowed), S-63 (the most common used data format for the distribution of ENCs) and (also, where allowed) the SevenCs SENC format, directENC.

S-57 is the data standard used for the exchange of unencrypted digital hydrographic data between national Hydrographic Offices and a valid data format used by some HOs (most notably NOAA) for the distribution of digital data and products to manufacturers, mariners, and other users.

S-63 describes the IHO standard for encrypted S-57 ENCs. A chart display system (e.g. an ECDIS or an ECS) which displays encrypted S-57 data must be compliant to S-63. Such a system has a unique 'S-63 User permit' (ENC User permit) which is used by the data supplier to produce chart permits that are used to import and display the encrypted ENCs. Most ENCs are distributed in S-63.

directENC is SevenCs proprietary data format. directENC is effectively S-57/S-63 data that has been pre-compiled and optimised for use in electronic navigation systems, such as ECDIS or ECS systems, that are based on the SevenCs EC2007 ECDIS Kernel.

directENC has been tested and approved by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency of Germany (BSH) to provide "a complete storage and availability of information content of ENC data format S-57, Edition 3.1 without changes and losses".

The primary benefits of directENC formated data are simplified chart management and significantly faster chart import. Please contact ChartWorld for details of ECDIS and ECS systems that are compatible with the dENC data format.

ChartWorld is formally type-approved by DNV to Primar SENC distribution standards, an IC-ENC approved SENC distributor, and a NOAA approved CEVAD. This means that, where allowed and approved by the relevant national HO, directENC can be used officially for distribution of ENCs.

Terms & Conditions 

ChartWorld's General Standard Purchase Terms and Conditions (GSPTC), General Standard License Terms and Conditions (GLSTC), and any written Ancilliary Contracts between ChartWorld and the Customer govern all agreements between ChartWorld and its Customers for the supply of ENCs.

Subscription Periods

ENCs are typically available with 3, 6, 9 or 12 month subscriptions depending on the producing HO.

ENC subscriptions include the right to receive any updates and/or new editions (if any) that may be issued by the producing HO during the term of the subscription.

Once an ENC subscription has expired or been cancelled, the ENC should be deleted from the ECDIS or ECS system.